United Airlines pulled 35 round-trip flights a day following a radar outage at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey last week.
Last Monday air traffic controllers lost communication with planes flying in and out of Newark for about 90 seconds.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association told Bloomberg News that Newark “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.”
“Air traffic controllers guiding planes bound for Newark Liberty International Airport lost radar and radio communication for more than a minute early last week before flights at the key hub were snarled for days, according to people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reported.
“The outage of those key systems occurred on April 28 and lasted nearly 90 seconds, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the matter because it isn’t public. Following the incident, multiple employees were placed on trauma leave, the people said,” Bloomberg reported.
United grounded flights after an air traffic controller said Newark is “not safe.”
“We feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers,” United CEO Scott Kirby said.
The FAA released an urgent statement on Monday after a malfunction with telecommunications equipment.
“Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce. As @SecDuffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible. We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers. In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency,” the FAA said.
FAA statement about @EWRairport flight operations:
Our antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce. As @SecDuffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible. We are working to ensure the current…
— The FAA
(@FAANews) May 5, 2025
According to the FAA, some air traffic controllers took a leave of absence to recover from the stress of the recent outages.
“Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages. While we cannot quickly replace them due to this highly specialized profession, we continue to train controllers who will eventually be assigned to this busy airspace,” the FAA said.
“When staffing or equipment issues occur, the FAA will ensure safety by slowing the rate of arrivals into the airport. We will keep the public updated as we work through these issues,” the FAA said.
Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers. Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages. While we cannot quickly replace them…
— The FAA
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